ABSTRACT
In Plato’s early dialogues, Socrates and the Sophists are inseparable. Where one finds Socrates, one also finds the Sophists. The dialectical relationship between these parties is particularly important in Kierkegaard’s interpretation and portrayal of Socrates, for not only do the Sophists set Socrates’ position in relief, but, as Kierkegaard sees it, Socrates’ position negates that of the Sophists: the Sophists propose, Socrates refutes; the Sophists argue for something, Socrates reduces the argument to nothing. In fact, to understand Kierkegaard’s famous assertion that Socrates’ position is “absolute, infinite negativity,” Socrates must be understood against that which he absolutely and infinitely negates: the positive claims of the Sophists.
